Cooling system provided with intercooler and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

A cooling system may include an intercooler configured to heat-exchange a coolant and air, a radiator configured to cool a coolant heated in an engine through heat-exchange with air, a low temperature radiator configured to cool the coolant of the intercooler, a thermostat selectively fluid-connected to the radiator or the intercooler to supply the coolant from the radiator or the intercooler to the engine, a first control valve configured to selectively supply the coolant which has passed through the intercooler to the radiator, a second control valve configured to selectively supply the coolant which has passed through the engine to the intercooler or the first control valve, and a controller configured to control operations of the thermostat, the first control valve, and the second control valve according to a temperature of the coolant of the engine and a temperature of intake air.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2014-0143386 filed on Oct. 22, 2014, theentire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by thisreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cooling system and a method forcontrolling the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to acooling system in which an intercooler serves as a heater by supplyingtemperature-increased air to an engine before the engine is warmed up,and a method for controlling the same.

Description of Related Art

In general, various devices are applied to vehicles in order to increaseengine performance and enhance fuel efficiency.

For example, a turbocharger may be a typical device applied to vehicles.In general, the turbocharger is a device for increasing an amount ofintake air by using energy of exhaust gas. That is, when a turbine ofthe turbocharger is forcibly rotated by using exhaust gas, a compressorconnected to the turbine is rotated to force intake air into a manifold.In this manner, engine performance and fuel efficiency are improved.

However, since the turbocharger system turbocharges the air, heat isgenerated, and thus, in order to cool the generated heat, an intercooleris provided. That is, the intercooler is installed between theturbocharger and the intake manifold to cool air heated by theturbocharger and supplies the cooled air to the intake manifold.

However, a related art intercooler only has a function of cooling heatedair, and thus it operates only when a temperature of air supplied to theintake manifold is equal to or higher than a preset temperature. Thatis, when the temperature of the air is lower, the intercooler does notoperate.

Meanwhile, in a case in which low-temperature air is mixed with EGR gasand supplied to the intake manifold, a swirl control valve (SCV) maymalfunction and a problem may arise with durability thereof. To solvethis, an extra device for heating low-temperature air needs to beprovided.

The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section isonly for enhancement of understanding of the general background of theinvention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form ofsuggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to aperson skilled in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing acooling system having advantages of heating air by using an intercoolerwhen a temperature of air supplied to an intake manifold is low, and amethod for controlling the same.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a coolingsystem including: an intercooler configured to heat-exchange a coolantand air; a radiator configured to cool a coolant heated in an enginethrough heat-exchange with air; a low temperature radiator configured tocool the coolant of the intercooler; a thermostat selectively connectedto the radiator or the intercooler to supply the coolant from theradiator or the intercooler to the engine; a first control valveconfigured to supply the coolant which has passed through theintercooler to the radiator, or to not supply the coolant thereto; asecond control valve configured to selectively supply the coolant whichhas passed through the engine to the intercooler or the first controlvalve; and a controller configured to control operations of thethermostat, the first control valve, and the second control valveaccording to a temperature of the coolant of the engine and atemperature of intake air. The cooling system may further include: acoolant temperature sensor configured to transmit coolant temperatureinformation to the controller; and an intake temperature sensorconfigured to transmit intake air temperature information of an engineto the controller. The cooling system may further include a lowtemperature water pump configured to circulate a coolant between the lowtemperature radiator and the intercooler.

When the coolant temperature is lower than a preset coolant temperature,the controller may block the coolant introduced from the radiator, andcontrol the thermostat to supply the coolant introduced from theintercooler to the engine, control the first control valve such that thecoolant which has passed through the intercooler is not transmitted tothe radiator, open the second control valve only in the passageconnected from the engine to the intercooler, and maintain the lowtemperature water pump in a deactivated state.

When the coolant temperature is higher than the preset coolanttemperature and the temperature of the intake air is lower than thetarget set temperature, the controller may control the thermostat toallow the coolant which has passed through the radiator to pass throughthe engine and block the coolant introduced from the intercooler,control the first control valve such that the coolant which has passedthrough the intercooler is transmitted to the radiator, open only thepassage of the second control valve connected from the engine to theintercooler, and maintain the low temperature water pump in adeactivated state.

When the coolant temperature is higher than the preset coolanttemperature and a temperature of the intake air is higher than a targetset temperature, the controller may control the thermostat to open acoolant line connected from the radiator to the engine and block acoolant line connected from the intercooler to the engine, control thefirst control valve such that the coolant which has passed through theintercooler is not transmitted to the radiator, block the coolantintroduced from the engine to the intercooler and connect a cooling linebetween the second low temperature radiator and the intercooler, anddoes not operate the low temperature water pump.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method forcontrolling a cooling system including an intercooler configured toheat-exchange a coolant and air and supply the heat-exchanged air to anengine, a radiator configured to cool the coolant heated in the enginethrough heat-exchange with air, and a low temperature radiatorconfigured to cool the coolant of the intercooler and form a closedcircuit with the intercooler in a fluid manner. The method may include:determining whether the engine is in a warmed-up state on the basis of acoolant temperature of the engine; and when it is determined that theengine is not in a warmed-up state, controlling a flow of the coolantaccording to a first operation mode.

In the first operation mode, the coolant heated in the engine issupplied to the intercooler to heat air and supply the same to theengine, and the coolant which has passed through the intercooler issupplied back to the engine without going through the radiator or thelow temperature radiator.

The method may further include: when it is determined that the enginehas been warmed up, determining whether an intake temperature is higherthan a target set temperature; and when the intake temperature is lowerthan the target set temperature, controlling flow of the coolantaccording to a second operation mode.

In the second operation mode, the coolant heated in the engine may besupplied to the intercooler to heat air and supply the same to theengine, and the coolant which has passed through the intercooler may besupplied back to the engine through the radiator, rather than throughthe low temperature radiator.

The method may further include, when it is determined that the intaketemperature is higher than the target set temperature, controlling aflow of the coolant according to a third operation mode.

In the third operation mode, the coolant heated in the engine may besupplied back to the engine through the radiator, rather than throughthe intercooler, and the coolant circulating in a closed circuit betweenthe intercooler and the low temperature radiator may be heat-exchangedwith air supplied to the engine.

The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other featuresand advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in moredetail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, andthe following Detailed Description, which together serve to explaincertain principles of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a layout view illustrating an operation of a cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention before anengine is warmed up.

FIG. 2 is a layout view illustrating an operation of the cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when anintake temperature is lower than a target set temperature after theengine is warmed up.

FIG. 3 is a layout view illustrating an operation of the cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when anintake temperature is higher than a target set temperature after theengine is warmed up.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the cooling system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a coolingsystem according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarilyto scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of variousfeatures illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. Thespecific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein,including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations,and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intendedapplication and use environment.

In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent partsof the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of thepresent invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) willbe described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will beunderstood that the present description is not intended to limit theinvention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, theinvention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplaryembodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalentsand other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scopeof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the following detailed description, only certain exemplaryembodiments of the present invention have been shown and described,simply by way of illustration. As those skilled in the art wouldrealize, the described embodiments may be modified in various differentways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentinvention.

Throughout the specification, unless explicitly described to thecontrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or“comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of statedelements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout thespecification.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a layout view illustrating an operation of a cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention before anengine is warmed up.

FIG. 2 is a layout view illustrating an operation of the cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when anintake temperature is lower than a target set temperature after theengine is warmed up.

FIG. 3 is a layout view illustrating an operation of the cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when anintake temperature is higher than a target set temperature after theengine is warmed up.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the cooling system exemplary embodimentof the present invention includes an engine 10, a thermostat 14, a waterpump 15, a radiator 16, a turbocharger 20, an intercooler 100, a lowtemperature radiator 21, and a low temperature water pump 22. The engine10, the thermostat 14, the water pump 15, the radiator 16, theturbocharger 20, the intercooler 100, the low temperature radiator 21,and the low temperature water pump 22 may be continuously or selectivelyconnected to each other through a coolant line 13.

The engine 10 burns a mixture of air and fuel to convert chemical energyinto mechanical energy. The engine 10 heated during the combustionprocess is cooled by a coolant circulating through the coolant line 13.Some of the coolant heated in the engine 10 is continuously supplied tothe water pump 15 through the turbocharger 20, and the remaining amountis selectively supplied to the radiator 16.

The thermostat 14 is selectively connected to the radiator 16 or theintercooler 100 according to temperatures of the coolant of the engine10, and is continuously connected to the water pump 15 to supply thecoolant which has passed through the radiator 16 or the intercooler 100to the water pump 15.

The water pump 15 supplies the coolant which has passed through thethermostat 14 and the coolant which has passed through the turbocharger20 to the engine 100.

The radiator 16 is selectively connected to the engine 10 through thecoolant line 13 to cool the coolant heated in the engine 100 throughheat-exchange with ambient air. Also, the radiator 16 may be selectivelyconnected to the intercooler 100 to supply the coolant which has passedthrough the intercooler 100 to the engine 10.

The turbocharger 20, serving to turbocharge intake air by using exhaustgas, is connected to the engine 10 and the water pump 15. Thus, thecoolant discharged from the engine 100 may pass through the turbocharger20 and is subsequently supplied to the water pump 15.

The intercooler 100 cools the intake air which has passed through theturbocharger 20. The intercooler 100 may be selectively connected to theengine 10 and selectively receive the coolant heated in the engine 10.Also, the intercooler 100 is selectively connected to the thermostat 14,the low temperature radiator 21, or the radiator 16, and selectivelysupplies the coolant to the thermostat 14, the low temperature radiator21, or the radiator 16.

The low temperature radiator 21 is selectively connected to theintercooler 100 through a single path to cool the coolant which haspassed through the intercooler 100 through heat-exchange with ambientair.

The low temperature water pump 22 circulates the coolant between the lowtemperature radiator 21 and the intercooler 100.

The cooling system further includes a first control valve 11 and asecond control valve 12 for switching the coolant line 13. As the firstand second valves 11 and 12, 3-way valves may be used.

The first control valve 11 is configured to selectively supply thecoolant which has passed through the intercooler 100 to the radiator 16.

The second control valve 12 is configured to selectively supply thecoolant which has passed through the engine 10 to the intercooler 100 orthe first control valve 11.

The cooling system further includes a controller 50 for controlling thethermostat 14, the first and second control valves 11 and 12, and thelow temperature water pump 22. The controller 50 may be realized as oneor more processors operated by a preset program, and the preset programmay be programmed to perform each step of a method for controlling acooling system according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the cooling system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the cooling system further includes an intaketemperature sensor 51 and a coolant temperature sensor 52.

The intake temperature sensor 51 is installed in an air line between theturbocharger 20 and the engine 10 to measure a temperature of intake airsupplied to the engine 10 after passing through the turbocharger 20, andtransmits corresponding information to the controller 50.

The coolant temperature sensor 52 is installed in a preset position inthe coolant line 13 to measure a temperature of the coolant, andtransmits the corresponding information to the controller 50. The presetposition may be a position between the engine 10 and the turbocharger20, but the present inventive concept is not limited thereto.

The controller 50 controls operations of the first and second controlvalves 11 and 12, the thermostat 14, and the low temperature water pump22 on the basis of information regarding the temperature of the intakeair transmitted from the intake temperature sensor 51 and theinformation regarding the coolant temperature transmitted from thecoolant temperature sensor 52.

FIG. 1 illustrates an operation when the coolant temperature transmittedfrom the coolant temperature sensor 52 is lower than the preset coolanttemperature.

When the coolant temperature transmitted from the coolant temperaturesensor 52 is lower than the preset coolant temperature, the controller50 determines that the engine 10 has not been warmed up.

When it is determined that the engine 10 has not been warmed up, thefirst control valve 11 closes the coolant passage connected from theintercooler 100 to the radiator 16. Also, the second control valve 12opens only the coolant passage connected from the engine 10 to theintercooler 100. Here, the controller 50 does not operate the lowtemperature water pump 22 but allows the coolant to pass through theintercooler 100 from the engine 10. The coolant which has passed throughthe intercooler 100 is introduced to the thermostat 14. The thermostat14 blocks the coolant introduced from the radiator 16 and supplies thecoolant introduced from the intercooler 100 to the engine 10 to allowthe coolant to circulate. Thus, the coolant heated in the engine 10 isheat-exchanged with air in the intercooler 100 to heat the air, and theheated air is supplied to the engine 10. Also, since the coolant heatedin the engine 10 is supplied back to the engine 10, rather than passingthrough the radiator 16, the coolant and the engine 10 may be rapidlywarmed up.

In the following descriptions, an operation in which a coolanttemperature transmitted from the coolant temperature sensor 52 is lowerthan a preset coolant temperature will be referred to as a firstoperation mode.

FIG. 2 is a layout view illustrating an operation of the cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when anintake temperature is lower than a target set temperature after theengine is warmed up.

When the coolant temperature transmitted from the coolant temperaturesensor 52 is higher than the preset coolant temperature, the controller50 determines that the engine 10 has been warmed up. In this case, thecontroller 50 determines whether a temperature of an intake airtransmitted from the intake temperature sensor 51 is lower than a targetset temperature. When the temperature of the intake air transmitted fromthe intake temperature sensor 51 is lower than the target settemperature, the controller 50 adjusts the first control valve 11 toallow the coolant which has passed though the intercooler 100 to flowthe radiator 16. The controller 50 also controls the second controlvalve 12 to connect the coolant line between the engine 10 and theintercooler 100. Here, the low temperature water pump 22 is maintainedin a deactivated state, and the thermostat 14 is open to allow thecoolant which has passed through the radiator to flow the engine 10, andthe coolant introduced from the intercooler 100 introduced to thethermostat 14 is blocked. Accordingly, the coolant cooled while passingthrough the radiator 16 is supplied to the warmed-up engine 10 to lowera temperature of the engine 10, since the coolant heated in the engine10 is heat-exchanged with air in the intercooler 100 to heat the air andsupply the same to the engine 10.

In the following descriptions, an operation when the temperature of theintake air is lower than the target set temperature after the engine 10is warmed up will be referred to as a second operation mode.

FIG. 3 is a layout view illustrating an operation of the cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when thetemperature of the intake air is higher than the target set temperatureafter the engine 10 is warmed up.

When the temperature of the intake air transmitted from the intaketemperature sensor 51 is higher than the target set temperature afterthe engine 10 is warmed up, the first control valve blocks introductionof the coolant from the intercooler 100 to the radiator 16 under thecontrol of the controller 50. Also, the controller 50 controls thesecond control valve 12 to block the coolant introduced from the engine10 to the intercooler 100 and connects the coolant line between the lowtemperature radiator 21 and the intercooler 100. In this case, thecontroller 50 operates the low temperature water pump 22 to allow thecoolant heat-exchanged with air in the intercooler 100 to circulateamong the low temperature radiator 21, the intercooler 100, and the lowtemperature water pump 22. Thus, the air is heat-exchanged with thecoolant cooled in the low temperature radiator 21, rather thanheat-exchanging with the coolant heated in the engine 10, so as to becooled.

The thermostat 14 opens the coolant line connected from the radiator 16to the engine 10 and closes the coolant line connected from theintercooler 100 to the engine 10. Accordingly, since the coolant cooledin the radiator 16 is supplied to the engine 10, the engine 10 isprevented from being heated. In the following descriptions, an operationwhen the temperature of intake air is higher than the target settemperature after the engine 10 is warmed up will be referred to as athird operation mode.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a coolingsystem according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a method for controlling a cooling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention starts bydetermining whether the engine 10 starts (S33).

When it is determined that the engine 10 does not start in step S33, themethod for controlling a cooling system according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention is terminated (S44).

When it is determined that the engine 10 starts in step S33, thecontroller 50 determines a warm-up state of the engine 10 on the basisof coolant temperature information transmitted from the coolanttemperature sensor 52, and controls accordingly the first control valve11, the second control valve 12, the thermostat 14, and the lowtemperature water pump 21. This will be described in detail.

First, the controller 50 compares the coolant temperature transmittedfrom the coolant temperature sensor 52 with a preset coolant temperatureto determine whether the engine 10 is in a warmed-up state (S31).

When it is determined that the coolant temperature is higher than thepreset temperature so the engine 10 has not been warmed up, thecontroller 50 controls the first control valve 11, the second controlvalve 12, the thermostat 14, and the low temperature water pump 21according to the first operation mode (S41). As described above, in thefirst operation mode, the first control valve 11 closes the coolantpassage connected from the intercooler 100 to the radiator 18, thesecond control valve 12 opens only the coolant passage connected fromthe engine 10 to the intercooler 100, the low temperature water pump 22does not operate, and the thermostat 14 blocks the coolant introducedfrom the radiator 16 and supplies the coolant introduced from theintercooler 100 to the engine 10 to allow the coolant to circulate.

When it is determined that the engine 10 is in a warmed-up state in stepS31, the controller 50 determines whether a temperature of intake air(or intake temperature) is higher than a target set temperature (S32).

When the temperature of the intake air is lower than the target settemperature, the controller 50 controls the first control valve 11, thesecond control valve 12, the thermostat 14, and the low temperaturewater pump 21 according to the second operation mode (S42). As describedabove, in the second operation mode, the first control valve 11 allowsthe coolant which has passed through the intercooler 100 to flow in theradiator 16, the second control valve 12 connects the coolant linebetween the engine 10 and the intercooler 100, the low temperature waterpump 22 is maintained in a deactivated state, the thermostat 14 isopened to allow the coolant which has passed through the radiator toflow in the engine 10, and the coolant introduced from the intercooler100 to the thermostat is blocked.

When the temperature of the intake air is higher than the target settemperature in step S32, the controller 50 controls the first controlvalve 11, the second control valve 12, the thermostat 14, and the lowtemperature water pump 22 according to the third operation mode (S43).As described above, in the third operation mode, the first control valve11 blocks introduction of the coolant from the engine 10 to theintercooler 100, and connects the coolant line between the lowtemperature radiator 21 and the intercooler 100, and the thermostat 14opens the coolant line connected from the radiator 16 to the engine 10and closes the coolant line connected from the intercooler 100 to theengine 10. Also, the controller 50 operates the low temperature waterpump 22 to allow the coolant heat-exchanged with air in the intercooler100 to circulate among the low temperature radiator 21, the intercooler100, and the low temperature water pump 22.

The method for controlling a cooling system according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention may be continuously performed in astate in which the engine 10 is in operation.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when thetemperature of the air supplied to the intake manifold is low, the airis heated by using the intercooler and supplied to the intake manifold,whereby a defective operation of a swirl control valve may be preventedand a fouling phenomenon and an environmental problem may be improved.

Also, since an additional heating apparatus is not used to heat air,production cost does not increase.

The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. Itis intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claimsappended hereto and their equivalents.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A method for controlling a cooling system includingan intercooler configured to heat-exchange a coolant and air and supplythe heat-exchanged air to an engine, a radiator configured to cool thecoolant heated in the engine through heat-exchange with air, and a lowtemperature radiator configured to cool the coolant of the intercoolerand form a fluidically-closed circuit with the intercooler, the methodcomprising: determining whether the engine is in a warmed-up state on abasis of a coolant temperature of the engine; and when the engine isdetermined to be not in a warmed-up state, controlling a flow of thecoolant according to a first operation mode, and wherein, in the firstoperation mode, the coolant heated in the engine is supplied to theintercooler to heat air and supply the same to the engine, and thecoolant which has passed through the intercooler is supplied back to theengine without going through the radiator or the low temperatureradiator.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: when the engineis determined to have been warmed up, determining whether an intaketemperature is higher than a target set temperature; and when the intaketemperature is lower than the target set temperature, controlling flowof the coolant according to a second operation mode, wherein, in thesecond operation mode, the coolant heated in the engine is supplied tothe intercooler to heat air and supply the same to the engine, and thecoolant which has passed through the intercooler is supplied back to theengine through the radiator, rather than through the low temperatureradiator.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, when it isdetermined that the intake temperature is higher than the target settemperature, controlling a flow of the coolant according to a thirdoperation mode, wherein, in the third operation mode, the coolant heatedin the engine is supplied back to the engine through the radiator,rather than through the intercooler, and the coolant circulating in aclosed circuit between the intercooler and the low temperature radiatoris heat-exchanged with air supplied to the engine.